1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices and methods for picking up solid wastes of dogs and other kinds of pets, and, more particularly, to manual devices for grasping and enclosing pet waste within a disposable bag.
2. Background Art
City and town ordinances commonly require that pet owners remove solid wastes deposited by their pets in public places. In addition to being unpleasant, the task can be especially cumbersome for a pet owner who tries to control a pet restrained by a leash held in one hand, while simultaneously attempting to retrieve the pet waste with the opposite hand. Prior to my invention, manual devices capable of retrieving and bagging pet solid waste were known and were capable of making the task somewhat less unpleasant. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,319 to Kohler; U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,111 to Crooks; U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,816 to Tobias; U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,691 to Liu; U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,838 to Nadratowsky; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,525 to Jones. But, to simplify the task and make it less cumbersome, what is needed is a device that can be held and operated with one hand only, and that will grasp solid pet waste and enclose it within a disposable bag--all with only a single, quick, downward motion of that same hand--thereby freeing up the other hand for restraining the pet, if need be. The present invention fulfills that need by providing a device with a pair of jaws within a truncated, conical body and a disposable bag mountable between the jaws, such that, with the jaws spaced apart and extended outward from the body, a single movement of the device downward onto pet waste causes the body to slide over the jaws and the jaws to close around the bag, thereby entrapping the waste within the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,952 to Clapper disclosed a device having a pair of jaws or scoop members made of outwardly-biased, springy material, and carried on the distal end of an elongated shaft. The scoop members were placed within a hollow sleeve, having a pair of opposed side walls, and open at both ends. In use, the scoop members were advanced out of the lower end of the sleeve and permitted to move apart, a bag was placed over the scoop members, and the scoop members and bag were placed over solid pet waste. With the handle in one hand, the opposite hand moved the sleeve downward over the scoop members, thereby turning the bag inside-out and closing the bag around the waste. To eject and discard the bag, the scoop members were again advanced outside of the sleeve and the bag removed from the scoop members. Thus, the simultaneous use of both hands was required to use Clapper's device.
The present invention incorporates a rib assembly for attaching the jaws to the body that is slidable within the body between an extended and a retracted position. The rib assembly includes a collar mounted for sliding movement on an axial shaft that carries a handle at one end. A plurality of ribs, similar to umbrella ribs, are pivotally attached to the collar and extend away from the handle to the jaws, such that movement of the collar away from the handle permits the ribs and jaws to spread apart, whereas, retraction of the collar back toward the handle corresponds to the jaws clamping shut. U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,169 to DeToma disclosed a device having an elongated shaft, comprised of two telescopically slidable members--an outer member surrounding an inner member that carried a handle at one end--that actuated a mechanical hand similar to the assembly of umbrella ribs. The mechanical hand was composed of a spider-like array of thread-like fingers that were resiliently flexible and which diverged from the distal end of the internal member of the shaft. In use, a baglike, disposable container was placed over distal ends of the ribs, the mechanical hand with attached container was placed over solid pet waste, and, holding the outer member stationary with one hand, the inner member was pushed toward the waste by the opposite hand's pressing downward on the handle to force the hand and bag to close about and envelope the waste. Thus, DeToma's device also required the simultaneous use of both hands.